The Top Student Tier List (Ranking 27 Study Skills)

Summary

The video script discusses a variety of study techniques and ranks them into tiers based on their effectiveness. Techniques like the Feynman Technique (S-tier) and Pomodoro (A-tier) are highlighted for their ability to enhance learning. The script also critiques methods like rereading and highlighting, which are considered less effective (D-tier). It emphasizes the importance of active learning, proper sleep (S-tier), and creating content as a form of learning (S-tier). The discussion underscores the need for a balanced approach to studying, integrating different strategies for optimal results, and the potential downsides of over-reliance on certain techniques like cramming (C-tier).

Takeaways

• 📚 **Flashcards**: Useful for rote memorization but can lead to the illusion of familiarity if overused.
• 👨‍🏫 **Feynman Technique**: A powerful strategy for identifying knowledge gaps by teaching a topic in simple terms.
• 🍅 **Pomodoro Technique**: A user-friendly technique that helps maintain focus through short study intervals and breaks.
• 📝 **Practice Problems**: Valuable for understanding the reasoning behind correct and incorrect answers, especially in calculation-based subjects.
• 📈 **Study Planning**: Crucial for balancing study and personal life, and should answer the questions of when, how long, and what to study.
• 🎓 **Interleaving**: Enhances learning by mixing up study topics to find connections and relationships between concepts.
• 🔍 **Priming**: Underrated technique that involves familiarizing oneself with material before in-depth study to prevent getting lost in class.
• 🧠 **Chunking**: Reduces the amount of information to learn by grouping it into manageable chunks, making it easier to process.
• 📚 **Syntopicl Reading**: Involves consuming multiple resources to understand a topic from different perspectives, enhancing comprehension.
• 💭 **Blurting**: Involves writing everything known about a topic without structure, which can be useful for recall but lacks depth.
• 📊 **Frameworking**: Provides structure to thought processes through diagrams and models, though it can be time-consuming.
• 🔁 **Rereading**: Considered ineffective due to the illusion of familiarity, offering a false sense of understanding.
• 🎵 **Studying with Music**: Enjoyable but can be distracting; should be used with caution and at an optimal tempo.
• 💤 **Sleep**: Essential for memory consolidation and overall learning effectiveness, ranked as a top-tier strategy.
• 🏋️‍♂️ **Exercise**: Improves memory and focus, contributing positively to the learning process.
• 🤔 **Group Discussions**: Can be highly effective or a waste of time, depending on the structure and the participants' engagement.
• 🌟 **Visual Associations**: Turning abstract concepts into visual representations can significantly speed up recall and understanding.
• 🤖 **Chat GPT/AI Prompting**: A valuable skill for the future, requiring critical thinking to effectively communicate with AI.
• 📈 **Cramming**: While it can be useful for short-term recall, it's not conducive to long-term learning and can be detrimental if it disrupts sleep.

Q & A

What is the main challenge when choosing study techniques from the internet?

The main challenge is determining which study techniques are effective, which are not, and which should be completely ignored due to the vast array of options available.

What is the 'illusion of familiarity' in the context of using flashcards?

The 'illusion of familiarity' refers to the psychological effect where one feels they know the answer because they recognize the flashcard, rather than truly understanding the material.

Why is the Feynman technique considered a powerful study strategy?

The Feynman technique is powerful because it involves teaching a topic to oneself, which helps identify knowledge gaps and reinforces understanding by simplifying complex concepts.

How does the Pomodoro technique help with focus?

The Pomodoro technique helps with focus by breaking work into short, intense intervals (usually 25 minutes) followed by a 5-minute break, which can improve concentration and prevent burnout.

What is the proper way to use practice problems for effective learning?

The proper way to use practice problems is to understand why the correct answers are right and why the wrong answers are wrong, rather than just memorizing the answers.

Why is study planning considered an S-tier strategy?

Study planning is considered an S-tier strategy because it helps maintain a balance between studying and other life activities, and when done with intentionality, it can significantly improve productivity and learning outcomes.

How does interleaving help in learning?

Interleaving helps in learning by mixing up the study material, which allows the learner to find connections and relationships between different concepts, thus enhancing understanding.

What is the significance of priming in the learning process?

Priming is significant in the learning process as it involves getting familiar with the material before deep learning, which helps in reducing confusion and improving comprehension during lectures or study sessions.

What is the main advantage of chunking as a study technique?

The main advantage of chunking is that it reduces the amount of information that needs to be learned at once by grouping it into smaller, more manageable units, which is easier for the brain to process and remember.

Why is rereading often considered an ineffective study technique?

Rereading is often considered ineffective because it is a passive form of learning that can lead to the illusion of familiarity without actually challenging the brain or promoting deep understanding.

How does sleep contribute to the learning process?

Sleep contributes to the learning process by allowing the brain to consolidate memories and move information from short-term to long-term memory, which is crucial for long-term retention.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Study Techniques: Effectiveness & Application

The paragraph discusses various study techniques and their effectiveness. It emphasizes the importance of using the right combination of strategies to save time and improve learning. The community's favorite study strategies are explored, including flashcards, the Feynman technique, Pomodoro, practice problems, and study planning. Each technique is evaluated based on its utility, with rankings from S-tier (highly effective) to D-tier (not recommended).

05:01

🤔 Interleaving, Priming, & Chunking: Enhancing Learning

This section delves into several learning strategies, including interleaving, which involves mixing up study topics to find connections between concepts. Priming is introduced as a way to prepare the mind for learning by getting familiar with the material beforehand. Chunking is explained as a method to simplify complex information by breaking it into smaller, more manageable pieces. The effectiveness of each strategy is debated, and the paragraph concludes with a discussion on syntopical reading.

10:03

📈 Syntopical Reading & Blurting: Exploring Advanced Techniques

The paragraph examines syntopical reading, which involves using multiple resources to understand a topic, providing a broader perspective. It also discusses 'blurting,' a method of brain dumping all knowledge on a subject without structure, which can be helpful for recall but may lack depth. The conversation touches on the importance of structure in learning and the potential downsides of certain techniques.

15:04

🔍 Frameworking, Rereading, & Going to Class: Strategies Evaluated

The discussion moves on to frameworking, which is about structuring thoughts and ideas, and its effectiveness compared to other methods. Rereading is criticized as a passive learning technique, with the illusion of familiarity being highlighted as a pitfall. Going to class is presented with a conditional recommendation, emphasizing the importance of preparation and engagement.

20:04

🎓 Highlighting, Rewatching, & Spaced Repetition: Passive vs. Active Learning

This part of the script addresses the use of highlighting in notes and its limitations in promoting active learning. Rewatching content is similarly critiqued as unproductive without new insights. In contrast, spaced repetition is praised for its effectiveness in long-term learning and memory consolidation, earning it a high ranking.

25:05

🌟 Mind Mapping, Mnemonics, & Sleep: Boosting Study Efficiency

The paragraph covers mind mapping as a potentially powerful tool when used with a structured approach. Mnemonics are recognized for their utility in memorizing lists but are noted to lack in fostering understanding. Sleep is emphasized as an essential factor for memory consolidation and learning, earning it a top-tier ranking.

30:06

📈 Homework, Music, Creating Content, & Exercise: Balancing Learning & Life

Homework is discussed with a critical perspective, suggesting it can be useful if not overly tied to grades. The use of music while studying is presented with mixed opinions, suggesting it can be enjoyable but may not always aid concentration. Creating content is highlighted as an effective way to learn and apply knowledge. Exercise is recognized for its benefits to memory and focus, contributing to overall learning efficiency.

🤝 Group Discussions, Visual Associations, & AI Interaction: Modern Learning Approaches

Group discussions are presented as beneficial when structured and composed of motivated individuals. Visual associations are praised for their ability to simplify complex concepts into memorable images. The paragraph also touches on the growing importance of knowing how to interact effectively with AI, suggesting that prompting AI requires critical thinking and clear communication.

📚 Cramming: The Risks & Benefits of Last-Minute Learning

The final paragraph debates the merits of cramming, noting its potential value for short-term, high-stakes exams but criticizing it for long-term learning. Cramming is recognized as a common but stressful approach, and the paragraph concludes with a reminder of the importance of sustainable and healthy study habits.

Keywords

💡Flashcards

Flashcards are a study technique where information is written on a card, which is then reviewed repeatedly to aid memorization. In the video, flashcards are discussed as a form of rote learning, which can be counterproductive if overused due to the 'illusion of familiarity.' They are given a 'C' ranking because they can be helpful for memorization but should not be a core part of a study system.

💡Feynman Technique

The Feynman Technique is a learning method that involves teaching a topic in the simplest terms to oneself, identifying knowledge gaps, and then reviewing those areas. It is considered a powerful strategy in the video and is ranked as 'S-tier' because it encourages active learning and self-teaching, which are effective for deep understanding.

💡Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method where one works for a set period (typically 25 minutes), then takes a short break (5 minutes), and repeats the cycle. It is described as user-friendly and effective for focusing but is given an 'A-tier' ranking because it can be too rigid for those who can focus for longer periods without breaks.

💡Practice Problems

Practice problems or tests are materials that mimic the format of actual exams. They are used to prepare for tests and understand the reasoning behind correct and incorrect answers. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding the 'why' behind answers rather than passive memorization, and they are ranked as 'A-tier' for their effectiveness in exam preparation.

💡Study Planning

Study planning involves organizing one's study sessions, including when, how long, and what to study. It is considered a meta-skill that contributes to productivity. The video stresses the importance of intentionality in planning, and when done correctly, it is ranked as 'S-tier' due to its impact on structured and efficient studying.

💡Interleaving

Interleaving is a study strategy that involves mixing up different topics or skills during study sessions to find connections and relationships between concepts. It is likened to a chef mastering various dishes in the video, and is considered valuable for creating a comprehensive understanding of subjects. It is given an 'A-tier' ranking.

💡Priming

Priming is a psychological concept where prior experiences shape the perception of subsequent experiences. In studying, priming involves becoming familiar with material before delving into in-depth learning. It is described as underrated and effective in preventing confusion during lectures, earning it an 'A-tier' ranking in the video.

💡Chunking

Chunking is the process of breaking down information into smaller, more manageable pieces to facilitate learning and memory. It is compared to humans eating entire planes and trains by grinding them into a powder in the video. This technique helps the brain to process and remember complex information more easily, and it is given an 'A-tier' ranking.

💡Syntopical Reading

Syntopical reading involves consuming multiple resources on the same topic to gain a well-rounded understanding. It is derived from Mortimer Adler's 'How to Read a Book' and is suggested for obtaining different viewpoints on a subject. Despite being valuable, it is ranked as 'B-tier' in the video due to the potential for becoming overwhelmed without a clear structure.

💡Blurting

Blurting, also known as brain dumping, is the act of writing down everything one knows about a topic without structure. It is intended to force recall but can lead to recalling facts without understanding their interconnectedness. The video suggests that structured approaches to blurting can be beneficial, but without structure, it is given a 'C-tier' ranking.

💡Frameworking

Frameworking, also referred to as modeling, is the process of giving structure to the way one thinks about a subject, often using diagrams or tables. It can be time-consuming and stressful, but when done well, it can be very effective. The video gives it a 'B-tier' ranking, acknowledging its potential but also the effort required.

Highlights

Flashcards are useful for rote memorization but can be counterproductive if overused due to the illusion of familiarity.

The Feynman technique involves teaching a topic to oneself to identify knowledge gaps and is considered a powerful learning strategy.

Pomodoro technique helps with focus but may be too rigid for those who can sustain longer periods of concentration.

Practice problems are highly recommended as they reflect the format of exams and help understand why answers are correct or incorrect.

Study planning is crucial and should involve knowing when, how long, and what to study for each session.

Interleaving involves mixing up study topics to find connections between concepts, similar to a master chef learning various dishes.

Priming is the process of getting familiar with study material before diving deep, which is underrated but can prevent falling behind in class.

Chunking information makes it easier to learn by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Syntopical reading involves consuming multiple resources on a topic to gain a broader understanding.

Blurting, or brain dumping, can help with recall but lacks structure and may not aid in understanding relationships between facts.

Frameworking, or modeling, provides structure to thoughts and can be time-consuming but is valuable for understanding complex systems.

Rereading is not an effective learning strategy as it often leads to the illusion of familiarity without challenging the brain.

Attending class can be beneficial if done with proper preparation and engagement, but it's not mandatory for success.

Highlighting text is generally not useful unless used in an active learning context, such as within a mind map or study guide.

Spaced repetition is proven to be more effective than cramming as it allows for better long-term memory retention.

Mind mapping can be powerful when used with a structured approach that encourages relationships between different pieces of information.

Mnemonics are useful for memorizing lists but do not aid in understanding or applying the information.

Sleep is essential for memory consolidation and should not be sacrificed for studying.

Homework can be useful if approached strategically and not solely as a means to achieve a grade.

Studying with music can be beneficial under certain conditions, such as listening to non-lyrical, moderately paced music at a reasonable volume.

Creating content or engaging in a project-based learning approach forces action and synthesis of ideas, making it an effective learning strategy.

Exercise improves memory and focus, contributing positively to the learning process.

Group discussions can be highly effective for learning when structured properly and involve a committed group of individuals.

Visual associations help to break down complex concepts into simple, memorable visuals for faster recall.

Chat GPT and other AI tools can be useful for learning when used to prompt and guide the learning process, but overreliance can be detrimental.

Cramming can be a useful strategy in certain situations but is not sustainable and can lead to stress and poor retention.

Transcripts

there are so many different study

techniques and skills and things that

people share all over the Internet hard

to know which one's good which one's bad

which one's should you completely ignore

which ones you should be using every

single minute of every single day in

your life if you find the right

combination of learning strategies and

put them together into a system that can

like easily save you 10 15 hours a week

but you have to be doing them the right

way so I put out some feelers this

morning asking a lot of our community

members what are like their favorite or

what they call their best study

strategies and their worst ones I think

the worst are and so we got some pretty

interesting answers but we just wanted

to make this video to help guide some

students so s tier means definitely

definitely do it everyone should be

doing s tier stuff and then D tier is

absolutely do not do this run away run

for the hills don't even touch them do

not be disturbed by by the D tier stuff

so looks like the first one here we got

is flash cards oh boy Mike and Maddie

and flash cards go way way back everyone

remember remn note we came from medical

school and Med students love using flash

cards yeah basically what I was taught

in med school was you just make 5,000

flash cards and then you just spend all

day all night doing flash cards

everywhere you go in the bathroom in the

bathroom on in in class when you're

supposed to be paying attention I think

flash cards have a pretty specific

purpose which to me is trying to

memorize a piece of information mhm

that's what we call rote learning yeah I

was going to say like flash card is just

inherently rot learning yeah you're just

you repeating something the same way mhm

but rely over relying on flash cards

eventually reaches a point where it

becomes counterproductive MH and this is

because of a pretty well studied

psychological Effect called the illusion

of familiarity you remember that there

is a flash card that you've created

about this idea yeah and then you just

associate oh yeah I made a flash card

about that that's going to be the answer

that's never how you're tested on it I

would honestly give it even if you do it

well a c I don't think it should be a

core part of your system what do you

think about that um yeah I think uh C is

fair so the next one here um the findan

technique mhm and I think it's named

after Richard feeman but not created by

Him the fan technique is a way of

teaching something to yourself picking a

topic and then you're trying to break it

down into the simplest terms and then

you're really looking for where the gaps

in your knowledge and so if you do this

enough then you'll identify all your

weak spots and then you can go back to

your notes and then you can learn more

about what you missed the thing about

the fan technique is I don't think

there's really a wrong way to do it like

at least if you try to do it then you're

getting benefit I think the more

important thing about fan is to just

understand that teaching itself as a

strategy is a very powerful strategy and

fan is not the only way to teach yeah I

think something that fan does pretty

well is it gives good stepbystep

instructions for how to think about

teaching yeah I think that giving

structure to how to use techniques is a

great way to to learn how to use it

correctly and get the most out of it so

with all of that I would almost say that

we just transformed the fan technique

into teaching

right so what would you rank teaching as

oh definitely um s tier yeah I was

actually going to say the same thing and

we have our first s tier still right

there so the next strategy on this list

is pomodoro Pomodoro is where you work

for a short period of time usually 25

minutes you take a 5minute break and

then you just rinse and repeat that

cycle and I think Pomodoro honestly for

like the barrier to entry to do it which

is incredibly low all you need is a

timer it can get you pretty far I

actually like how like it is such a

simple tool that can get someone to

focus I do think that pomodora runs into

some issues down the line especially um

once you get more comfortable with

focusing for longer stretches of time

that you don't necessarily want to break

at 25 minutes or even 50 minutes if

you're able to like sustain good flow

and Rhythm for a long time and so

because it has that limitation of being

too rigid I wouldn't give it an S tier

but actually I would think Pomodoro is

like an a tier yeah I was going to say a

tier actually because it's a very

userfriendly technique go to cage and

.focus just go there that's the best

place to go to actually that's the best

one next is practice problems or

practice tests of self assessment

basically having some sort of material

that reflects what you might see on the

day of the exam the bad way to use it is

you're just trying to Breeze through and

passively memorize the answers to the

questions but the good way to use it is

to actually understand why the right

answers are right and why the wrong

answers are wrong if when you're doing a

practice problem like a multiple choice

practice problem M it could potentially

be five questions all packaged into one

so it's like five learning points that

you could possibly benefit from I think

practice problems are something that

depending on the subject you're studying

of course is going to be like the

default resource that's given to you any

kind of calculation based class like

math physics chemistry you're going to

be given practice problems same thing in

medicine like CU Banks of thousands of

practice problems and the reason why I

would encourage people to use them is

because that is exactly how you are

going to be tested aside from like the

does it help you learn better versus

does it help you get better grades I

think those are two different outcomes

it does get you better grades MH because

it's how you're going to be tested I

will give this an a tier okay moving on

to the next one this is kind of a broad

category but it's called study planning

and this is really just because from

Discord I got so many people saying that

the best strategies they use is

literally like I like planning my day I

like uh uh planning my next big day so

like the whole thing about planning is

that you want to have a balance between

your studying and your social life mm

your personal life right so so planning

is extremely important planning is just

one of those meta skills that will help

you just be a more productive human most

people their idea of planning is oh I

need to study sometime today like that

is their their version of planning MH

where you don't know when you're going

to be studying you don't know what

you're going to be studying you don't

know how long you're going to be

studying those are the three questions

you should definitely answer for every

single study session when how long and

what and most most people don't do that

if you're doing it with the

intentionality that we just talked about

study plan in is easily s tier oh for

sure yeah I agree with that okay so the

next one on the list here is inner

leaving so inner leaving is not really

like a technique more like a yeah like a

mindset strategy of how you can

Implement different study skills inter

leaving basically means mixing up what

you're studying so that you can find

connections and relationships between a

lot of potentially related Concepts but

you wouldn't have found that unless you

were thinking about how is this related

to something else mhm the visualization

that I like to keep in my head for

interleaving would be like let's say

that you're trying to be like a master

chef at cooking fish you know this

analogy yeah I know this I love this

analogy so let's say that you're trying

to like become the best um fish Chef in

the world if you keep cooking the same

the same dish the fish dish the same

fish dish over and over again then

you'll only get good at that one fish

dish but interleaving means you're

cooking the fish in many different ways

so you could make sushi for example mhm

you could make uh fish and chips I don't

know what that looks like fish and

chips or you can make baked fish you can

make steamed fish there's so many ways

to cook a fish and by doing it in so

many different ways you see how each way

is different you see how each way is

related to each other you can compare

and contrast which ways are easier

harder which ways are more valuable

right so all those things is what you

get from interleaving yeah and I guess

comparing the chef to you as a learner

what Chef do you think knows fish better

the one who only knows how to make

really good what was this one foret uh

baked fish I guess a baked fish expert

or a chef that knows how to make all of

these and knows why that why the flavors

of these different dishes goes together

clearly I would want that Chef who knows

the wide range of things in my kitchen I

would say as toar so next on the list is

priming priming basically means this is

actually a term that comes from

psychology behavioral psychology which

is the way that you experience something

where it shapes the next time that you

see it so with studying priming means

getting familiar with some of the stuff

that you're about to study or learn

before you actually get deep into

learning it like skimming through the

lecture slides skimming through the

textbook chapter or like watching some

short YouTube videos about the topic

just to get like an overview or general

idea about it before you go to class so

that you're not completely lost uh and

seeing it for the first time mhm you're

surveying you're scoping so many words

for it I would say that priming is

really underrated because if you go to

class and you didn't Prime the material

and you're going to be so lost exactly

if the teacher like once you get lost

you're going to fall so behind that

you're not going to be able to keep up

then most students are just going to

zone out and just kind of give up

primate can be very very effective but I

think it is actually really difficult to

do well yeah I would actually let's just

give it an a how about that I would give

it an a yeah this next strategy is

called chunking what's chunking so

chunking is basically reducing the

amount of information that you need to

learn group them together this is really

interesting analogy that I heard from um

one of the business podcast I was

listening to okay but so there are these

human beings who actually have eaten

entire trains and planes like airplanes

oh I I think I've seen this somewhere

I've seen this article wow this is like

pretty interesting and so what they do

is like they take the entire plane and

they grind it down into powder break

break it apart yeah yeah so they have

like this little container of like it's

like pepper so every meal they eat they

just sprink a little bit of the plane or

train onto their meal and they'll eat

that yeah chunking is basically just

like making it easier for you to lots of

information yeah so anything like longer

than a sequence of four or five is

really difficult for our brain to wrap

its head around but that's why if you

think of like phone numbers they break

it up into like three-digit four digigit

four-digit instead of just like 10 in a

row so they're chunking it by little

groups like that so it's easier for you

to remember and anything that you're

trying to learn is to break it down into

different categories and try to see what

is the flow and the Order of information

what would you give chunking kind of be

a tier or higher okay I would say let's

give it an a tier so the next skill on

the list is syntopical reading this is

actually something that came from

Mortimer Adler is that Mor Adler yeah

Mortimer Adler morer Adler how to read a

book so syntopical reading simply means

consuming multiple different resources

at the same time to understand a topic

so instead of just using your lecture

slides it's also watching some YouTube

videos reading some other textbooks I

know that no one wants to think about

reading multiple textbooks for class um

using chat GPT chat GPT talking to your

professor or or your classmates um that

is supposed to give you a better

perspective to that subject I think it's

incredibly valuable cuz when you go to

school your professor gives you one

point of view that's the professor's

point of view yeah if they wrote the

book then that's still that's just their

point of view that's true but if they

like assign you like a textbook that was

written by someone else then now you

have two points of view and I know a lot

of people like are averse to syntopical

reading because at least when I was in

college I hated it when my professor

would be like oh there's all these

optional readings you can do and as a

student I'm like

I'm do extra if I don't have to I'm just

going to give it a b you get pretty far

withour and you can get lost you can get

lost for sure so the next technique on

the list is blurting blurting so this is

basically another word for brain dumping

I guess that's right it's just like

you're just trying to write everything

that you know about a topic I think with

blurting the whole point of it is that

there's no structure to it the good part

about it I think is that it's forcing

you to try to recall things right you're

pulling it yeah from the Dome exactly

recall retrieval whatever you want to

say but the danger of using blurting is

like you could just be recalling facts

uhhuh and not really thinking about how

everything relates together yeah and

that's that's the problem with not

having structure but if you're just like

randomly recalling everything you know

about like Japan in a random order then

it's probably not going to be very

useful there's like no Direction like

why are you doing this mhm yeah so

having some kind of structured approach

to blurting would make it very much

would make it a lot better yeah but then

at that point it just becomes teaching

right not even as good as teaching

because you're necessarily like using

simple words uh I would probably say

like a c yeah I'm good with giving it a

c so the next one on the list is

frameworking frameworking maybe we can

also call this like modeling uhhuh so

frameworking basically means giving

structure to the way that you think

about something the most common types of

Frameworks that you might be familiar

with from anything like a table a Gra

yeah um a flowchart those are all

different kinds of Frameworks vend

diagrams love V diagrams I will also say

though that Frameworks is pretty hard to

do it is very stressful it can take a

lot of time and especially if you're

drawing it could be like what you just

saw Mike doing you could spend a lot of

time trying to draw a framework before

you even get to a shape that you like

and so because of that I would actually

probably give it a b okay what would you

say you want to go higher I was going to

say a but I think B is fair okay moving

on to the next one we have rereading we

have so I don't know if we need to spend

too much time on rereading I think the

world at this point the internet knows

that it's not very strong and I stand

behind it yeah you're basically just

wrote learning like passive wrote

learning it's passive because it is not

challenging your brain in any capacity

you're just reading words it's playing

into this thing called the illusion of

familiarity so when you read something

your brain actually believes that it

understands what you read the same thing

is if you watch something your brain

understands thinks that it understands

what what you watched for example like

if you watch a documentary you will be

entranced in that documentary like oh my

God I'm learning so much about history

an hour later I guarantee you will have

forgotten like 80% of it like the

students who reread their notes over and

over and over they're just like giving

their brain dopamine like yeah yeah I

know all this I know this so easy so

easy so easy the moment you take it away

and they try to recall it they're

they're stuck and so rereading is just

dangerous for those for those reasons

and for that I can't give it anything

lower than a d I would have give it an F

if I could like d for detrimental d d

for damage d just major damage so the

next one here we can quickly talk about

going to class what do you think about

going to class I mean it depends like if

it's mandatory or not like that's like

the thing we always see like in our

community like I have to go to class I

have to sign in or also I'll fail I

think going to class for the typical

student in the US cuz that's all most of

the students I know is not very good

because they do not prime they go in

completely blind to class usually in

college after terrible night of drinking

and partying M and or being hung over

and or maybe being drunk in class who

knows like what kids do nowadays but for

all those reasons if you go to class

without preparing without having even a

pencil and a notebook without knowing

anything it's a wasted hour mhm or or

more depending on how long the class is

yeah but if you do all the things you're

supposed to do which is like Prime and

then like be prepared and then pay

attention and ask questions then it can

be pretty useful so it's pretty in the

middle for me like I don't know what I

would say I don't know I have nothing

more to add to that I would agree it's

just hard because like coming from med

school it wasn't mandatory yeah it was

great so I never went to class yeah and

the thing is like it actually made me

more self-reliant yeah and it made me

like more autonomous with my studying

because I didn't go I'm going to give it

a c yeah c for class yeah next one on

the list highlighting basically just

highlighting over words and sentences

that you think are important yeah going

to highlight this here I generally don't

think it's too useful like if you're

reading rereading your notes and you're

highlighting important things in your

notes then it's already passive you're

not really adding much more if you're

like uh tree noting or mind mapping and

you're using highlighting like color

coding in your mind maps to to make

things pop out then I think that's

pretty useful I think what they're

referring to is what you said before you

think it might be useful so you

highlight it to come back to it again

later but that is the problem right

there if you're highlighting something

because you don't want to forget it

because you want to come back to it

again then you're just not learning then

you are basically just delaying learning

and that's D is D like you're not

learning you're waiting you're delaying

deeper delaying delay next one on the

list rewatching didn't we just do this

similar to rereading I guess we talked

about it already I'm also going to give

this one a d we can just Breeze by it do

we even need to talk about it no not

really D re rewatching is a d if you

didn't get anything the first time then

if you re-watch it without any new

information then you're also not going

to get anything out of it yeah so the

next one on the list here is space

repetition so space repetition I don't

even know if it's like actually like a

study strategy strategy it's a strategy

and it basically is the opposite of

cramming so you can be spending the same

overall amount of time on a subject but

you're just doing it either all at once

which is cramming or spacing which is

over time and what science has shown us

is that spacing is far superior to

cramming I think I'll add a little bit

to it I tried to draw a brain here I

don't know if that I mean there a shape

of a brain and I've have labeled this

working memory and this is long-term

memory those are not like the actual

accurate locations but just we'll just

go with it for now they're actually

flipped but oh okay when you space

things out it gives your brain a chance

to take the information you learn and

put it into long-term memory so that's

like you need time for your brain to

connect the ideas M to long-term memory

the reason you want to do it a little

bit every single day is because during

the time that you're not like the in

between time is when your brain actually

moves information into long-term memory

so if you don't give your brain some

time to like debrief process information

then it actually just forgets it and so

if you cram it all at once and then you

take your exam and you never look at it

again most of that stuff didn't go to

your long-term memory so you're going to

lose it all M so spacing is just like a

way to incrementally add building blocks

to what you know without losing at all

if your if your goal is long-term

retention then it's pretty high yeah

maybe an a yeah let's give it an A or an

S I mean it depends I going to give it

an A so the next one on the list is mind

mapping well basically the point I was

trying to make with like mind map mind

mapping uh is that it's similar to

blurting a lot of people want to use it

uh because it's like a trendy uh

technique but without very clear

protocol or guidelines or structure on

how to use it then you can use it

incorrectly and waste a lot of time

here's like a typical mind map you would

see it's like it's hard to know like

what the ideas are because everything

just looks so monotonous because the

passive way to mind map is like you're

just reading oh I'm reading chapter 1

and chapter 1 has like three subsections

and you're just you're just literally

like transcribing the entire chapter

into like a different layout without

really thinking about how how like how

does this relate with this how does this

relate with this one over here how does

like this part relate with that over

there it's like most people in my map

they just transcribe but like when you

have like a structure to follow that

forces you to think about information

then like a better mind map would be

like you're using Color to emphasize

like this is different from that because

of this you're using arrows you're using

different shapes like you're you're

actually trying to compare the

information to each other and see how

they're related I think that's like the

most powerful part of my map so we have

like two videos that we've made on this

already that we can link above we don't

want to get too into it but the trino is

a framework that we teach where each

letter gives you like pretty clear

instructions on how to get the most out

your my maps so I would probably just

give it an a even a b maybe yeah a let's

give it an a next one on the list

neonics what is a neonic is basically a

good way to memorize like lists of

things where you just like create a

pattern or create like a rhyme or create

some sort of mini framework where you

just memorizing a list yeah um usually

there's no Rhyme or Reason to this just

memorizing them and it's useful like

when you're memorizing large lists or a

lot of things like in med school

everyone used neonics for sure there's

tons of neonics there was like the

cranial nerves one it's like fun ways to

memorize things but the thing is you

have to actually memorize the neonic too

and it doesn't really help you use the

information it just helps you

recall it so then you fall into the risk

of just recalling isolated details and

not really understanding the big picture

M yeah I would give pneumonics to see so

the next one on the list is not really a

technique again more just what people

have to do which is sleep a necessity

yeah sleep is something that should not

ever be sacrificed I mean

ever Beyond school well I mean like I

sleep people agree that it's healthy

it's good for you like no one is going

to deny that sleep is good but I think

the the part about sleep that some

people Overlook is that it's actually

good for your learning because while

you're sleeping that's when your memory

is getting Consolidated that's when

everything that you've learned during

the daytime is being moved into your

long-term memory it's like what you're

doing right now you took the memory card

out and you're you're trying to save it

into your laptop yeah so we so we can

continue learning capturing exactly like

think of this the camera as your brain

which our our memory card just ran out

of space because the camera because we

didn't sleep I don't think anyone will

deny how good it feels to wake up after

a good night's rest sleep it is s tier

hands down yes sleep is sleep tier

basically so next one on the list is

doing homework oh this is interesting

generally speaking I disagree with

homework but that is simply because for

the most part homework is attached to a

grade or percentage and when you tell a

student they have to do an assignment or

else that puts them into a state of a

fear of missing points fomo and so they

will do whatever it takes to complete

that assignment and forego any potential

benefit of learning from it I've been a

student who also does this where like if

you have like a take-home quiz like

everyone just forms study groups and

they just share answers they just like

we just take turns like today this

person is going to do it and the next

week I'll do it we'll share it together

it's like a commune of just copying

homework and answers together MH and so

if that's the case it is incredibly

unhelpful I think if homework was

optional and or not part of your grade

and it was really just for or giving you

feedback about how to improve your

learning it can be useful mhm but for

the most part I don't think anyone uses

homework in a way that is useful you got

to be strategic about your homework you

don't have to do all of your homework

yeah but you shouldn't skip all of your

homework um how much of your grade is it

worth and um if it's not worth very much

then you fall into the Trap of like

homework feels very urgent to do but is

it actually important like is are you

actually going to learn something from

it or are you better off doing something

else to learn better exactly yeah that's

all yeah so I'm going to give homework a

c just because I don't want anyone

failing out of school because of me next

one on the list is studying with music

um yeah I got mixed feelings about this

one a lot of studies on music and

basically music is not that great but

it's just so enjoyable yeah speak that

it makes me yeah I like using music to

study I know I'm just kidding I think

that um I think that music gives you

like that enjoyability factors like I

remember I would never take practice

tests with music because I really need

every single brain cell possible if you

follow these three practices that I do

for music then it might not be as bad as

you think one don't listen to it too

loud that is very distracting two listen

to music that is without lyrics you

don't want to be singing along to

anything and three don't pick music

that's too slow because I found at least

for myself that if it's a little bit

fast I would say like between anywhere

between like 90 and

125 130 BPM is probably the best range

to be in are people even going to know

what that means you don't want it too

fast cuz it's going to get too ramped up

and so if you have it too slow then it's

going to doze you off so so what about

like binaural beats cuz like the the

point there is like you're trying to

sync your brain waves to like a certain

yeah I would I don't know if if I

consider binaural beats music though

yeah it's like sound I don't know I have

uh I guess we if we want to classify it

differently yeah I mean there are some

sounds that could be helpful like white

noise is helpful for people right music

I was specifically talking about

something that's like someone created

for entertainment purposes yeah

enjoyable artistic music is more

artistic music a c as much as I hate to

say it hate to see it music is a c all

right next one on the list creating

content super underrated actually yeah I

think creating content or reframing

creating I think creating content is a

very specific use case of it learning

through having a reason to create

something yeah is an incredibly powerful

way to learn for us at least on YouTube

it's like we have a reason to learn

because we want to teach we want to make

these videos and so it forces us to

learn a different things not just like

the study and the learning stuff that we

teach we learned how to set up our

cameras we learned how to Market we

learned how to advertise them how to

sell all these different skills came

from us trying to achieve some kind of

project which is like a YouTube channel

so I think if you can attach what you're

learning to some kind of project to

become some kind of hobby yeah like ever

since we've been creating I think the

important part about creating is it

forces action yeah and I think that

learning is taking action doing things

reading is not learning just

yeah you're just consuming things

creating anything with it yes but

learning means like you're behaving

you're acting you're doing something so

just thinking about the word create that

is learning creation is learning reading

is not learning that's all I think

that's really important distinction yeah

and it's really fun I mean I think every

human this is maybe us going on a

soapbox but every human is creative you

just haven't tapped into what it is to

be human is to be creative exactly you

just haven't tapped into what it is that

you like to create you can be like a

doctor that creates like a treatment

plan you can be like an accountant that

creates like spreadsheets it's like

creating data from data is extremely

valuable um so yeah creating just

basically means that you are practicing

what you're what you're learning yeah

you're synthesizing ideas to generate

something that came from you that came

from there um expressing that and so

that is very valuable creating content I

mean I am I'm going to say it's stier

I'm biased also but yeah it is stier all

right so the next one on the list is not

really again a technique um exercise it

could be a technique oh but yeah I mean

it's like a like a bench press yeah

exercise improves your memory and all

that stuff um exercise helps like Focus

too uhhuh so your energy levels there's

so much that goes into it yeah I agree I

mean you cover everything I would say

exercise is very valuable I it's not

like mandatory like sleep is yeah it

doesn't yeah it's not mandatory like

sleep is I say if like a b or a I don't

know what do you think uh I'll just give

it a b cuz I do know a lot of people who

don't exercise and they still crush it

and learn next on the list is group

discussions I think group discussions

like many of these can be done very very

well and it can be incredibly useless it

comes back to mind mapping and blurting

it's like you need a structure for group

discussions cuz if you don't it's going

to quickly be a waste of time get out of

hand you can learn so much like

especially if the the people you you

surround yourself with the five people

that you want to be most like it's also

yeah you're talking like a mastermind

then at that point that's like a

mastermind yeah like why did I get into

med school because I surrounded myself

with preds who wanted to get into med

school right um that's just plain and

simple yeah if you're doing it in a way

where you're just hanging out with your

buddies who procrastinate all the time

they play video games on their phones no

one's prepared or no one's like read the

lectures you get together and try to

study you will be better off on your own

versus participating in the group

because most people probably don't use

it cuz you don't need it sure but yeah

it's pretty good so you can get by

studying solo yeah it's and sometimes

it's hard to find people who are like

actually self-improver and yeah but like

Beyond school and after graduation group

learning and group working is definitely

s tier that quote like if you want to go

fast go alone if you want to go far go

together next one on the list is visual

associations visual associations is

basically breaking a concept down and

then turning into a visual one easy way

to use visualization say you're mind

mapping right and in this mind map you

have like a bunch of different ideas

coming off of this one thing mhm is

there a way that you can ask yourself

how do these all relate to each other

and can you turn all of this into like

one single picture like and tell a story

with it like maybe there's like a I'm

just drawing a storm cloud with a

thunderbolt I don't know why just but

like maybe all of this reminds you of

like you know a storm so then you would

just instead of drawing all these out

you can just draw the storm here and

instantly by looking at this one image

you will know all of these together so I

guess the the point of visualization is

you're can you're you're breaking things

down into their simplest parts and then

you're making it so that you can recall

it as fast as possible it would take you

like minutes to read this whole page of

notes but if you turn like chunks of

these pages into like a visual you know

MH then instantly by looking at like one

of these things you know like oh this

this picture means all of this stuff

yeah and just looking at it like what is

it a picture is worth a thousand words M

um just looking at it you'll be able to

review your notes much faster but I

would give visual associations and a I

would say I think it's pretty powerful

all right next up on the list is chat

gping which is funny because it used to

be Googling oh yeah but now it's chat

gping chat gping I mean pretty soon it's

probably going to be whatever else the

next AI the next AI like Bing or yeah

binging or whatever other ones are um I

recently saw this uh interview with um

the CEO of Nvidia he was saying like the

most important skill to learn in the

future is prompting like knowing how to

talk to AI I was very shocked because

not too long ago everyone was saying

that the most important skill to learn

was coding now ai can do a lot of the

coding for you and what's more important

is knowing how to talk to the AI to get

what you want when you're trying to

learn knowing how to prompt means that

you have to understand what to ask it

yeah so it forces you to think about the

information in a way like like how do I

extract exactly what I want from the AI

it requires you to critically think so I

think that prompting I guess we should

probably call it prompting I don't know

if it would be an S tier but like just

the idea of prompt yeah probably like a

probably b or an A yeah I'm going to

give it a I'm going to give it a b tier

just because it's so easy for us to over

rely and or offload learning to AI or

algorithms instead of trying to

understand ourself you come up with the

really good prompt and AI just does all

of the work for you and then you don't

have to try it all to piece it together

or learn then it could be a bit harmful

also to use it as a crutch and so with

that caveat in mind I'm just going to

give it a b finally on the list we have

cramming cramming well I mean if

cramming is the opposite of space

repetition then does it automatically

make it a D since spacing is like an a

well yeah I mean I like annais like

cramming uhhuh I like cramming in the

fact that if you are cramming

efficiently which is like I only have

this much time what are the most

valuable things I need to extract from

it I think that's a really good way to

approach learning because you are

focused on like the high yield what is

the most high yield stuff that it needs

to know mhm but if cramming you mean by

you only study for like 2 hours for your

exam ever then I don't think it's that

good the way you don't want to cram is

to lose sleep sleep is an S tier

technique and a lot of people sacrifice

sleep with cramming or by cramming I

think cramming was pretty valuable for

me like when I was in college and I was

taking like a lot of classes that I

didn't care for or that were really

boring or I I knew I wasn't going to be

using like prisoner studies or something

like that or like yeah anthropology or

something um I would just cram for the

quiz do well and then you know move on

with my life cuz it was like a required

class so it's it's useful in some cases

yeah but it could be detrimental if you

sacrifice other things I don't think

it's a good habit to get into if

anything you want to build systems that

are sustainable and that are over

inherently not stressful M cramming is a

system that is incred stressful whenever

you do it like whenever someone says I

have to cram for this exam it's never

coming from a place of positivity mhm

and it's never coming from a place of

excitement it's always dread remorse and

or regret um I I mean c for cramming I

guess I'll give it a c yeah it's in the

name we we'll just give it it's the

average technique that average people

use so looking at this list we got 1 2

three four five s's it's actually more

than I thought we're going to have

actually do we need to bump any of these

down I mean it's just got to you just

got to have your honest opin right yeah

no our this is what we're saying here is

absolute truth this is how we would rank

study skills and all those things you

just describe there thinking about the

system thinking about how do we reach

desire difficulty how do we challenge

ourselves how do we avoid you know

passive learning these are all things

that we go into very deep with our

program study Quest I think in general

there's a lot of techniques and there is

a optimal way to use it and there's like

a not so optimal way to use it yeah and

one of the things that we really

emphasize in study Quest is we make sure

that you use the techniques correctly so

that you're getting the most out of your

learning yeah it's our program if you're

interested then we'll have links in the

description below go ahead and check it

out let us know if we got anything wrong

if you completely disagree if you love

it if there are some things you want to

try or if there are anything things that

we missed that should be in this list